


and i won’t leave you in the cold

by jyushimatsu-falls-in-love (NatureTheZafara)



Category: Sneedronningen | The Snow Queen - Hans Christian Andersen, おそ松さん | Osomatsu-san (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Snow Queen Fusion, Brotherly Love, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Magical Realism, Matsu Duo Zine, Post-High School, Pre-Series, References to Depression, Slight movie spoilers?, Snow Queen Elements, Swearing, Tagging is still really hard, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 02:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18956152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatureTheZafara/pseuds/jyushimatsu-falls-in-love
Summary: On a cold winter's night at the hospital, Jyushimatsu witnesses his brother Ichimatsu get kidnapped from his room by a mysterious king wearing a cape of snow and a crown of ice. Jyushimatsu then takes it upon himself find Ichimatsu and rescue him from the Snow King's grasp.So begins a fantastical journey that spans the seasons, filled with oddly familiar faces and near impossible odds. But even in the harshest of winters, Jyushimatsu will stop at nothing to save his older brother and bring him home.(A loose retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytaleThe Snow Queen, starring Suuji. Written for the Matsu Duo Zine.)





	and i won’t leave you in the cold

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (belated) birthday to the Matsuno brothers!! 
> 
> To celebrate, here's the fic that I wrote for the [Matsu Duo Zine](https://twitter.com/RinBob2410/status/1132176062547255296), a zine dedicated entirely to, well, (platonic) Matsu duos! I got to write Suuji(!!!!!) for the zine, and I decided to write a fic idea that I've had and wanted to work on for a very long time - a Suuji-flavored retelling of one of my favorite fairytales!!  
> (You can read _The Snow Queen_ [here](http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSnowQueen_e.html)! Though hopefully the fic would still be enjoyable even without knowing the story ;w; )
> 
> So, so, _so_ many thanks to [Deadybones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadybones), who beta'd my fic and helped me with so many other stuff!! I've been asking for help a lot from them lately ^^; But in all seriousness, Deady is such a nice and cool person with so many good ideas, and I wouldn't have done it without them ♥
> 
> ALSO this fic does use some of elements of the HS Matsus' characterizations in the movie (this fic is set months after the boys graduated from high school); but around the time I wrote this fic I haven't seen the movie, so most movie-related things you'll see in this fic are mostly based on guesswork and speculation.

Akatsuka General Hospital is a quiet place. Despite how busy it is, with all the patients being treated and all the doctors and nurses treating them, the entire building seems hushed into an unsettling, almost deathly silence.

Jyushimatsu shivers in his winter jacket and scarf. He doesn’t like it one bit.

He makes his way through the hospital, past the lobby and through a few corridors and up many stairs. He doesn’t need to look at where he’s going: within three weeks’ worth of visiting every day, he’s already memorized the way to his brother’s room like the back of his hand. He walks briskly, not stopping until he finally reaches Room 504.

One of the nurses, Fuyuki-san, passes by just as Jyushimatsu approaches the door. She recognizes him right away, sort of. 

“Hello, Matsuno-san,” she says kindly, to which Jyushimatsu manages a smile and nods in greeting. “Um, Jyushimatsu, right?”

Jyushimatsu nods again. “Uh-huh.”

“Oh, good, good. Are you here to see your brother?”

“Uh-huh.” Jyushimatsu loosens his scarf a little. His eyes dart towards the door. “Um, is… is he awake yet?”

Fuyuki-san shakes her head. “I’m afraid not. But his condition remains stable. If we’re lucky, he’ll wake up sooner rather than later.”

“Ah.” Jyushimatsu nods again. “Thanks, Fuyuki-san.”

The nurse leaves. Jyushimatsu opens the door to Room 504 and steps inside.

Room 504 is a small room: not cramped, but still quite small. The off-white walls look even whiter with light from outside coming through the window. The winter sky outside is slate gray, with a light snowfall accompanying it; it somehow makes the room look even more barren and cold than it already is.

The hospital bed stands by the window. In the bed is Ichimatsu, in a hospital gown, lying still with his eyes closed, an IV drip and a heart monitor attached to his body.

The sight makes Jyushimatsu’s stomach drop every time, no matter how many times he visits. He walks over to the bed, removing his scarf and jacket as he does so, and hovers over his unconscious brother. He tries his hardest not to look at the gauze dressings wrapped around both of Ichimatsu’s wrists.

“Hi, Ichimatsu-niisan,” Jyushimatsu says quietly. “You okay?”

Ichimatsu doesn’t respond.

Jyushimatsu sits on the little armchair by the other side of the bed. He fidgets in his seat for a while, then clears his throat.

“Um, things are going okay at home... Ah, Todomatsu grew two whole inches taller! We measured him yesterday. Uhh, Karamatsu-niisan’s new acne cream is working, I think, and Choromatsu-niisan decided to stop wearing his glasses… Osomatsu-niisan still won’t talk to anyone… and Totoko-chan’s parents said they’ll help Mom and Dad with the hospital bill.” Jyushimatsu scratches the top of his head. “I think that’s all… Ah! I also got a new baseball bat today! It’s made of metal! I wanna show it to you when… when you wake up…”

His words falter, and he slumps and sighs sadly. He glances again at Ichimatsu lying on the hospital bed, so still that the heart monitor is the only indication that he’s still alive. In the light of the cloudy winter window, he looks pale, cold, almost dead.

Jyushimatsu shudders. 

He isn’t sure where everything started. It was probably after graduating high school months ago. Something happened to Ichimatsu after that day; then he just started changing. From a friendly and easygoing social butterfly, he slowly became withdrawn and distant, isolating himself from everyone, even his own family. He became more irritable and standoffish too, frequently lashing out at others, and demanding to be left alone.

It wasn’t as if the others didn’t change either after school had ended. Even Jyushimatsu dropped the destructive anger he carried as a high school delinquent, feeling much better and happier for it. But Ichimatsu’s transformation was much more alarming and worrisome.

Jyushimatsu tried everything he could to cheer Ichimatsu up, but it was no use; it seemed the harder he tried, the more Ichimatsu pushed him away and isolated himself. Eventually, Jyushimatsu gave up and left Ichimatsu alone. After all, it’s what he wanted, right?

And then, three awful weeks ago, Ichimatsu tried to end everything.

Which is why he’s in the hospital now. The first week was spent in the ICU; after his condition stabled, he was transferred to Room 504.

The entire Matsuno family was shaken from the incident. For the past three weeks, the household has known nothing but worry, dread and guilt. Even now, as they slowly try to live normally while waiting for a miracle, nobody at home can shake off the feeling that maybe, _maybe_ they could’ve done something to stop it before it happened.

Especially Jyushimatsu.

Hesitantly, he reaches out a floppy sleeve to hold onto Ichimatsu’s hand, the one not attached to the IV drip. He lightly squeezes his older brother’s hand – not to wake him up, he knows that that’s not going to happen; but just to let him know somehow that he’s there. He sighs.

“Please… Please wake up soon, niisan…”

The snow outside continues to fall for hours.

 

* * *

 

Jyushimatsu doesn’t remember dozing off. When he wakes up, it’s already very late. The night sky outside the window is dark, and the snowfall has grown into a snowstorm. The hospital lights are oddly dimmed.

Jyushimatsu yawns, rubs his eyes, and gets up from the chair. He doesn’t know what time it is, only that he stayed too long and that everyone at home is probably wondering where he is. He glances at Ichimatsu on the hospital bed, and he feels guilty for having to leave him.

“Sorry, niisan,” he mumbles. He manages a small smile. “I’ll visit again tomorrow, okay?”

He waves at his bedridden brother, then puts on his jacket and scarf and shuffles his feet towards the door.

But before he can even touch the doorknob, a blast of howling cold air hits him from behind. It’s so sudden and so  _cold_ that Jyushimatsu yelps and nearly jumps out of his socks.

“Waaah! C-cold!”

He whips his head around to see the window wide open, the wind blowing a flurry of snow into the room. 

Someone stands by the window: an adult man looking like some sort of king, wearing regal white clothes beneath a cape made of thick snow; and a crown of sharp ice crystals atop his head. Something about his messy dark hair, pale skin and half-lidded eyes lined with dark circles beneath is unsettlingly familiar.

And he’s carrying Ichimatsu’s comatose body in his arms.

“Ichimatsu-niisan!” Jyushimatsu cries.

The Snow King smiles: a dark, mirthless smile that doesn’t quite reach his ears. Before Jyushimatsu can even move, the Snow King turns and jumps out the window, taking Ichimatsu with him.

Jyushimatsu wastes no time. He rushes toward the window at full speed and jumps out after them. He lands miraculously on his feet without breaking a bone, into the surprisingly thick snow covering the hospital parking lot. Around him, snow continues to fall in a furious flurry.

At the end of the parking lot, he spots the Snow King shoving Ichimatsu into a large white sleigh made entirely of snow and ice, attached to two gigantic white cats with giant snowflakes for manes.

Jyushimatsu runs as fast as he could towards the sleigh, yelling, “Ichimatsu-niisan! Give him back! Give Ichimatsu-niisan back!”

The Snow King pays him no heed. He climbs into the driver’s seat and tugs onto the reins; the white cats run fast, faster than Jyushimatsu can keep up with, out of the parking lot and into the street. The sleigh leaves a trail of white snow on the asphalt in its wake.

Jyushimatsu doubles his efforts and pushes himself to run faster after the sleigh, yelling after the driver until his voice runs out. But the sleigh is still way too fast; he loses sight of it just as he tires out from running.

After catching his breath, Jyushimatsu lets out a frustrated scream. 

“Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

In his rage he punches and kicks a nearby vending machine while screaming profanities, like he would as a high school delinquent just months ago. The street is thoroughly empty at this time, so no one stops him. Once the vending machine is reduced to scrap metal, he sinks down onto the snowy sidewalk, and before long starts sobbing into his floppy sleeves.

“I-Ichi… Ichimatsu-niisaa-haaa-aaaan!” he wails. “I-I’m sorry! I couldn’t… I-I couldn’t stop him! I’m sor-ryyyy…!”

It takes a while for Jyushimatsu to calm down from his sobs. He dries his tears with his sleeves, then looks up above at the night sky. The snow has stopped falling; the full moon shines clear and bright overhead.

At that moment, Jyushimatsu makes a decision. He won’t go home yet, even if it’s really late. He won’t go home at all until he finds the Snow King, gets Ichimatsu back from him, and brings his brother home where he belongs.

With newfound determination, Jyushimatsu stands up, dusts the snow off his bottom, and adjusts his scarf and jacket. He shivers and rubs his arms - oh, how he _hates_ the cold - but it doesn’t deter him from looking around for something to point him to the right direction.

By a stroke of luck, he spots a trail of snow on the road he’s on, shining bright in the light of the winter moon. The Snow King’s sleigh has passed here. 

Jyushimatsu follows it down the street. Where it’ll lead him, he doesn’t know.

 

* * *

 

The trail leads him to a street where a fish shop stands. Banners hang at the entrance, with images and words that seem to move on their own. Above the awning is a balcony, its doors closed, with a shimmering jade roof in the shape of a fish’s tail. Colorful paper lanterns dangle from the roof.

“Jyushimatsu-kuuuun! Is that you?”

The balcony doors open, and out steps the prettiest girl ever, with reddish-brown hair and bright brown eyes. She’s wearing a butcher’s apron embroidered with cute little fish, and a sun-hat with colorful decorative fish arranged on it like a flower bouquet. 

She’s so pretty that for a moment Jyushimatsu can only gawk at her, blushing and laughing coyly without saying a word.

“Oh? What are you doing here? It’s so late.” She tilts her head very cutely. “Are you here to see me?”

“Yes!” Jyushimatsu nods, but then shakes his head and backtracks, “I-I mean, uh, no! Sorry! Um… I’m looking for Ichimatsu-niisan! He was kidnapped from the hospital! Did you see him?”

“Kidnapped from the hospital?” The Pretty Fish Girl purses her lips in thought, then shakes her head. “No, I didn’t see Ichimatsu-kun come by here at all!”

“I see…” Jyushimatsu yawns and shivers, but smiles. “Okay, thanks! I’ll keep looking!”

“No, wait!”

The balcony doors close; and before long, the Pretty Fish Girl stands out in front of the fish shop. She’s so close to Jyushimatsu, and so _pretty_ up close, that Jyushimatsu’s entire face flushes deep red.

“It’s so late! And you look really tired. Don’t you feel tired?” She smiles. “You should stay here for the night! Rest first. Tomorrow you can look at all the pretty fish, and then watch my show and tell me how great I am! It gets so lonely here, so having some company for a while would be nice. Sound good?”

Her offer makes Jyushimatsu’s eyelids and arms and legs feel heavy. Blush deepening, his smile widens and he nods.

“Ahaha, okay!”

The Pretty Fish Girl lets him sleep in a spare room, surrounded by dimly lit aquariums filled with many-colored fish. The next morning he wakes up to see the same fish out of their tanks, swimming in the air above his head.

At breakfast, the Pretty Fish Girl serves him raw fish on a small platter. It’s the best fish Jyushimatsu’s ever had, despite being small and uncooked. He eats with relish, leaving a completely clean fishbone when he’s done. He’s served the same thing at lunch, then dinner; it tastes just as good.

The Pretty Fish Girl asks Jyushimatsu to do things for her while he’s there: clean all the rooms, carry her things, give her back and foot massages and be her footstool when she’s tired. Jyushimatsu does whatever he’s told to do, happy to grant her every desire.

In the evening, the Pretty Fish Girl puts on a show, singing and dancing on a magic stage lined with sparkling seashells and glittering sand. Many colorful fishes nailed to the wall behind her provide backup vocals. She earns a standing ovation – although Jyushimatsu is the only audience member.

After the show, Jyushimatsu happily goes to sleep with the fishes in the spare room. The next day he happily eats more raw fish, follows the Pretty Fish Girl around to do her bidding, chases and plays with the magic fish, watches the Pretty Fish Girl’s show, and goes to sleep. It’s what he does in the following days, too.

He isn’t even aware that he’s forgotten someone.

Sometimes Jyushimatsu hears a strange, faint sound from outside of the fish shop, like an animal’s cry. The sound tickles his brain, and he’d almost, _almost_ remember – but before he can, the sound always disappears.

Whenever he asks the Pretty Fish Girl about the sound, she tells him not to worry.

“They’re just, uh, some stray animals that come to the shop sometimes and try to eat the fish,” she explains. “Nasty, mangy things… But it’s okay! I keep them away, so they won’t come into the shop anytime soon!”

Jyushimatsu nods. But deep down, he still can’t help but wonder.

One day, the Pretty Fish Girl goes out to get some new show costumes fitted. She leaves Jyushimatsu to scrub and mop the floors from top to bottom.

While he’s mopping, he hears the strange sounds again, coming from outside. This time Jyushimatsu can’t help his curiosity, and he follows the sound to the storefront.

There, he sees a meowing cat with jet black fur, standing among the wares and trying to catch and eat a flying fish trying to wriggle out of its grasp.

“Hey hey!” Jyushimatsu gets between the cat and the fish, pulling the cat’s paws away so the fish can swim away as fast as it can. “Don’t eat that! He’s got a family!”

The cat looks up at Jyushimatsu with striking green eyes and meows, begging for food. Jyushimatsu can’t help but feel sorry for the poor thing.

“Aww… Don’t worry, kitty! I’ll get something for you!”

Jyushimatsu rushes to the kitchen in the back, takes one of the raw fish that the Pretty Fish Girl serves him, and runs back to the storefront. He crouches down and puts the small fish on a small platter before the cat, who eats with gusto. A warm smile grows on Jyushimatsu’s lips, and he reaches out to gently scratch the top of the cat’s head.

“Ahaha! It’s super yummy, isn’t it?” he chirps. The cat meows in response, and he beams. “You’re really cute, too! Ichimatsu-niisan really likes cats, y’know; I bet he’d love to…”

_Ichimatsu-niisan!_

Everything comes flooding back in a flash. Jyushimatsu starts as if woken from a dream, and whips his head around at his surroundings. 

“E-ehh?! Crap! I totally forgot!” He springs up to his feet. “I gotta keep looking for Ichimatsu-niisan! Do you know where he was taken, kitty?”

The cat meows and shakes its head.

Jyushimatsu rushes back into the fish shop. He asks various fish – the ones swimming in the air, the ones nailed to the walls, the ones dying in the kitchen – if they know where Ichimatsu was taken to. The fish glub and sing, but none of them know anything.

Jyushimatsu bolts out of and away from the fish shop, as fast as his legs can carry him. He can’t help but glance behind his shoulder as he runs. He’s sorry that he has to leave the Pretty Fish Girl behind; she seemed really lonely. But hopefully she’ll understand.

The white trail that he followed before is long since gone from the streets, as is all the snow. The sun is now high up in the sky, beating down on everything below it. Seasons had passed outside of the fish shop while he was there: it’s already late summer.

 

* * *

 

By the time Jyushimatsu can’t run anymore, it’s already evening. He stops to rest by a rectangular fishing pond, with boxes and various fishing equipment littered about. Jyushimatsu doesn’t fish – he’s sick of fish – and instead dunks his face into the water to cool off.

While he dries himself off with his scarf, the pit of guilt and worry in his stomach grows. How is going to find Ichimatsu, now that all traces of the Snow King are gone? The thought of never seeing his brother again – or worse – makes Jyushimatsu’s throat tighten and his stomach knot. It’s so awful that he could almost start crying again—

“Hey, um… I-I mean, _heh!_ Are you alright, _my little Jyushimatsu?”_

Jyushimatsu dries his eyes and lifts his head to see a crow with blue feathers perched on the box next to him, cocking his head curiously. He has a tiny pair of sunglasses on top of its head, for some reason.

Jyushimatsu shakes his head with a sniff. “Ichimatsu-niisan was kidnapped from the hospital,” he explains sadly. “By the Snow King. I went after them, but then I got distracted… Now I don’t know where to find them!”

“Ahh… I see, I see.” The Blue Crow nods sympathetically. “That’s _too bad.”_

“Uh-huh… You haven’t seen Ichimatsu-niisan around, have you?”

“Hm!” The Blue Crow flaps his wings a little. “Well, I’ve been flying all around the place as I please – such is the life of a _guilt guy_ such as myself!” He then shakes his head and replies more seriously, “But I haven’t seen Ichimatsu anywhere at all, either.”

“Ah…” Jyushimatsu hangs his head.

Seeing how distraught Jyushimatsu is, the Blue Crow hops towards him and tries to comfort him. “Oh, but not to worry! Um, I may not know where Ichimatsu is, but the Queen and King might! They know everything that I and my _brothers_ don’t.”

“The Queen and King?” Jyushimatsu repeats.

“Yes!” The Blue Crow flaps his wings to hover a little in the air. “The Queen is the cleverest, most _wonderful_ woman in the whole neighborhood! And the King is a handsome and _cool_ fellow – I’ve been told that I take after him the most, heh!”

Jyushimatsu makes a face. The Blue Crow barely notices.

“They live in a grand _palace_ not too far from here,” the Blue Crow continues. “My _brothers_ live there with them as tame Crows. But as for me,” his eyes sparkle like tiny disco balls, “I am what you’d call a _wild_ Crow! I love my brothers dearly, but I am called by the wilderness to stretch my wings and fly as far as I’m able! Ahh, such a sinful _guilt bird_ such as I can never know the comforts of—”

“So where’s the Queen and King’s place?” Jyushimatsu cheerfully interrupts.

“E-eh? Ah, um…” The Blue Crow adjusts his sunglasses and points his wing to the east. “It’s just a short walk from here, at the residential district. That’s where their kingdom is.”

“Cool! Can you take me there?”

“Of course, _my little Jyushimatsu!”_ The Blue Crow lifts himself triumphantly into the air. _“Follow me!”_

Jyushimatsu follows the Blue Crow down several streets, past various buildings and houses. Throughout the whole walk he wonders what the Queen and King are like, and if they _really_ know where Ichimatsu is. He fiddles anxiously with his floppy sleeves. He really does hope that they know.

Finally they reach their destination: an impressive structure of old wood, looking almost like a cross between a regular old house and the Imperial Palace. Pine trees line the surrounding gardens. The entire palace and its gardens are lit by bright paper lanterns with the kanji for ‘pine tree’ written on each of them.

A pair of short bald men in brown stand guard outside. Each hold a staff with a pine tree symbol atop the shaft.

“The guards aren’t going to let you in at this time of night,” the Blue Crow tells Jyushimatsu. “We’ll have to get in through another way. _Follow me.”_

The Blue Crow takes Jyushimatsu around to the back, where a tall fence of bamboo wood stands between them and the back garden.

“Wait here,” the Blue Crow instructs Jyushimatsu. “I’ll talk to my _brothers_ for a moment.”

The Blue Crow flies over the fence and disappears into the garden. Jyushimatsu waits at the back, squatting and looking up at the summer moon shining down on him.

It takes so long, Jyushimatsu almost loses his patience. But thankfully the Blue Crow returns before that could happen, flying back over the fence and settling himself by Jyushimatsu’s feet.

_“I’m back!”_ the Blue Crow announces. “My _brothers_ are preparing to let us in. They shouldn’t take too long.”

“Seriously, niisan,” a nasal, nagging voice calls out from the other side of the fence, “it’s such a hassle trying to get the secret gate here to work again…”

“We had to look for the instruction book and everything!” a high-pitched, cutesy voice whines.

“Heh! It’s alright, _brothers!”_ the Blue Crow replies. “I believe in you.”

The sounds of unseen turning mechanisms fill Jyushimatsu’s ears. A hidden panel in the bamboo fence slides open, revealing an entryway to the garden. Standing there are a glasses-less Green Crow, and a smaller Pink Crow with puffy feathers peeking from behind him.

“Ah, it’s Jyushimatsu-niisan!” the Pink Crow peeps, hopping towards Jyushimatsu.

“So it is,” the Green Crow says, bobbing his head. “You want to see the Queen and the King?”

“Uh-huh.” Jyushimatsu nods. “They might know where Ichimatsu-niisan was taken.” 

“They’re kinda busy right now, actually,” the Pink Crow points out. “They’re worrying about hospital bills. It’s kinda scary…”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you regardless,” the Blue Crow assures Jyushimatsu. “It’ll be OK!”

“The Queen and King are in their bedroom on the second floor,” the Green Crow says as he leads Jyushimatsu and the other Crows through the back garden. “We can lead you to them, but you better be quiet or else the guards will catch you and throw you out. It’s happened before.”

They sneak into the palace through the back sliding door, hiding in the darkness so the other short bald men in brown inside don’t spot them. The Crows lead Jyushimatsu to a spiraling staircase made of wood, which he starts to climb. Up he goes, the Crows flying beside him, until they come to the second floor.

Finally they reach the royal bedroom. It’s as grand as it could be: velvet curtains drape the windows, tatami mats line every inch of the floor, and royal futons embroidered with jade pine trees lay beneath an impressive ink painting of Mt. Fuji.

The Queen and King are seated around a low circular table in the center of the room. However, despite their elaborate clothing, they don’t look very regal. Instead they look exhausted, graying hairs and eyebags visible as they hunch over the piles of hospital bills scattered on the table and sigh deeply.

The three Crows slowly and cautiously approach.

“Um, Y-Your Majesties?” the Blue Crow begins, all of his earlier painful bravado completely gone. “I, uh, I hope we’re not interrupting…”

The Queen lifts up her head from the bills and adjusts her round glasses. “Oh, my dear little crows. Aren’t you going to bed?” She yawns. “It’s late.”

“Er, we will soon,” the Green Crow says with a nod. “But… someone wants to talk to you.”

“At this hour?” the King grumbles.

“It’s Jyushimatsu-niisan!” the Pink Crow chirps. “He’s here to ask you something!”

The Queen and King look towards Jyushimatsu standing sheepishly behind the crows. Realizing they’re looking at him, Jyushimatsu straightens his arms to his sides and gives them a low, almost comical bow.

“Your Majesties!” Jyushimatsu greets, still bent forward in a bow. “I’m looking for Ichimatsu-niisan! He was kidnapped by the Snow King. I dunno where he took him!” Looking back up at them, he continues, “You know everything the Crows don’t… Do you know where he went?”

The Queen and King are taken aback by Jyushimatsu’s request. They glance at each other, sadly, then shake their heads.

“I’m so sorry, my dear,” the Queen says, voice tired and slightly tremulous. “We haven’t… We haven’t seen Ichimatsu at all since what happened.”

“We may know everything the Crows don’t,” the King says with a deep sigh, “but we don’t know _everything._ We have no idea where your brother’s been taken.”

“Has he woken up yet?” the Queen suddenly asks, wringing her hands.

Jyushimatsu’s shoulders sink with his heart. He lowers his eyes and shakes his head.

The three Crows’ faces fall too. They surround Jyushimatsu and try their best to comfort him: the Blue Crow and Green Crow put gentle wings on his legs, and the Pink Crow flies up to his shoulder to nuzzle the side of his face.

“Sorry, Jyushimatsu-niisan,” whimpers the Pink Crow.

“Sorry,” mumbles the Green Crow.

“I’m sorry, Jyushimatsu,” murmurs the Blue Crow. “I hoped we’d be of more help.”

Jyushimatsu sniffles, then shakes his head. “I… I-It’s okay.” He huffs and puts a determined face on. “I’ll just have to keep looking.”

_“This_ late?” the King protests. “Aren’t you tired? You look like you’ve been running around all day!”

Jyushimatsu laughs despite himself. “That’s ‘cause I have been!”

“Stay here for the night,” the Queen offers, adjusting her glasses. “You can continue your search tomorrow morning. That’s an order, by the way, young man.”

Jyushimatsu doesn’t dare argue against the Queen. That, and he realizes with a yawn that he _is_ exhausted. 

The Queen and King send him to sleep with the Crows in their room. He shares a large, six-person futon with them that night, and it’s the coziest futon Jyushimatsu’s ever slept in. He can’t help but wish that Ichimatsu were there, so he’d feel comfortable in his sleep too.

The thought of Ichimatsu squeezes Jyushimatsu’s chest until it aches. He _has_ to find him - not just for his own sake, but for everyone else’s, too.

The next day, he’s treated to a sumptuous breakfast cooked by the Queen herself. After eating, the Queen and King have him dressed in nicer clothes than he came in: a thick and warm yellow hoodie, some new shorts, and a new scarf and hat, as autumn is starting soon.

“Bring this with you, too,” the King says as he hands Jyushimatsu a brand new metal baseball bat. “You never know when you’ll need to beat up some bad guys on your quest!”

“Show them no mercy!” the Queen agrees with a thumbs-up.

Soon, it’s time for Jyushimatsu to go. A small rickshaw made of pine wood waits for him outside of the palace, pulled by two of the short bald men in brown. Jyushimatsu climbs into the seat, and says his goodbyes to the Queen, King and Crows seeing him off.

“Make sure to bring Ichimatsu home safe once you find him,” the Queen implores him.

“We’re all counting on you, _brother!”_ the Blue Crow cheers.

A grateful smile spreads from ear to ear across Jyushimatsu’s face. “Aye-aye!” he chirps, giving everyone a salute.

With that, the two bald men start pulling the rickshaw down the street, away from the palace. Jyushimatsu waves at the royal inhabitants and keeps waving until they disappear completely from view.

If Jyushimatsu were honest with himself, he’d be perfectly happy to stay with the Queen and King and the Crows for the rest of his life. But wonderful as that would be, however, it could never be home without Ichimatsu. Maybe once he saves Ichimatsu, he can bring him to the palace and everyone will all be together again. That’s an even more wonderful thought.

 

* * *

 

For days on end, Jyushimatsu travels around on the little rickshaw made of pine wood. The two short drivers pull him around the city, down many different streets and past many different buildings. Sometimes the drivers get tired; when that happens Jyushimatsu takes it upon himself to pull on the rickshaw, letting the two sit inside instead and rest until _he_ gets tired.

Throughout the journey, Jyushimatsu keeps an eye out for anything and everything that could point him to his brother. He’d have the rickshaw stop to ask random people he’d encounter – neighbors, old classmates, old teachers, strangers he’ll meet in the future, alleyway cats – whether or not they’ve seen Ichimatsu around. Some try to be helpful, but all in all, none have seen him.

Disheartening as it is, Jyushimatsu presses forward and keeps looking. He won’t give up – he _can’t_ give up.

The rickshaw eventually comes to a dark, secluded street. Jyushimatsu finds himself starting to doze off; he’s the one seated in the passenger cart this time, and there isn’t much to do, nor is there anyone else around to ask. He doesn’t even notice the two shadows skulking around the street, getting closer and closer to the rickshaw.

Until it’s too late.

The ambush is sudden. Two robbers – a tall, lanky one with an overbite and a short, balding one with whiskers across his cheeks – surround the rickshaw and pounce on him. They grab hold of him, yanking his metal bat away before he can defend himself, and tie him up tight with some rope. The two rickshaw drivers meanwhile vanish into thin air like a magic trick.

“Ushyo-shyo-shyo!” the Tall Robber cackles, his painfully fake French accent grating on Jyushimatsu’s ears. “We finally got one, zansu!”

“Check out the idjit’s ride too!” The Short Robber snickers. “100% pine wood – musta come from the Queen ‘n’ King’s place, dammit!”

“You know what that means, _mon ami_ – he must be loaded, zansu! Filthy rich!”

“Hell yeah!”

“Ehh?!” Jyushimatsu struggles against the rope binding him to no avail. “Oiii! Lemme go! Assholes! I gotta look for Ichimatsu-niisan!”

“Bah, you can go look for Karamatsu later.” The Tall Robber waves a hand dismissively, then continues with a nasty sneer, “ _After_ we make money off all your valuables, zansu!” He then turns to his companion. “Oi, baldy. Bring the carriage thing to homebase, zansu.”

“Huh?! Why me?!” The Short Robber stamps his feet. “I ain’t gonna pull that shit on my own, dammit, the hell, ya idjit!”

The Short Robber ends up pulling the rickshaw alone anyway, with Jyushimatsu yelling and wriggling around in the passenger cart, while the Tall Robber cheerfully leads the way, whistling a little tune. The Short Robber is surprisingly strong for his size, too – Jyushimatsu would’ve been impressed, if he wasn’t busy feeling pissed at being kidnapped.

The Robbers’ hideout is underneath an old stone bridge, with a dark river running past it. A campfire blazes in the middle. When they arrive there, the two Robbers toss Jyushimatsu into a dingy corner, next to a strange large lump of fur, before going off to greedily disassemble the rickshaw and argue over how much each part would sell for. 

Seeing his only mode of transportation completely wrecked makes Jyushimatsu’s heart and stomach sink. It’s also very clear to him that the Robbers probably aren’t going to let him go for a long time. He tries to fight against the rope still binding him, but the Robbers have tied him up really tightly. He struggles and struggles and struggles until he finally wears out.

The deepest gloom passes over his face. How is he going to find Ichimatsu now?

Just then the strange lump of fur beside him moves, shakes its head slowly and opens its eyes. It’s a spotted deer, with reddish fur and not-so-tall antlers protruding out of his head. A red collar is tied around his neck, with a little green pine symbol dangling from it; the collar connects to the dingy graffitied wall with a thick rusty chain.

The Deer lets out a big, lazy yawn. His eyes fall on Jyushimatsu, and his ears perk up.

“Oi, Jyushimatsu!” the Deer greets him jovially. “You’re here! Looks like the two stooges got the jump on ya too, huh?”

Jyushimatsu nods with a pout. He then tries once again to wiggle his way out of his ropes.

“Hey, don’t struggle too much,” the Deer says with concern, “you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“I gotta… get out of here,” Jyushimatsu says through gritted teeth as he continues to struggle. “Gotta… Gotta save Ichimatsu… niisan…!”

The Deer grows alert. 

“Ichimatsu?” Poking his snout to Jyushimatsu’s face, he all but demands, “Where is he? Is he awake yet?!”

“So yer awake now too, huh, Deer?” the Short Robber interrupts. He snorts. “Keh, finally! Ya’ve been doin’ nothin’ but sleep ‘n’ eat ‘n’ read ecchi manga all day, ya lazy idjit!”

He carries with him a metallic bain-marie pot filled to the brim with what looks like oden broth. He sets the pot on top of the campfire, then procures a bunch of oden ingredients from a nearby box to place into the broth.

The Deer rolls his eyes. “It’s not like I _can_ do much,” he grumbles, tugging onto his chain, “with this thing in the way and all. ‘Sides, it’s kinda nice _not_ doing anything.”

“That ain’t surprisin’ at all, comin’ from you,” the Short Robber deadpans. He then turns to Jyushimatsu. “Oi, you – ya have anythin’ to eat yet?” He jerks his thumb at the oden pot bubbling away and grins proudly. “Try some of my oden! It’s gonna be the best damn oden in all Japan – no, all the world, dammit! That’s my new goal!”

“His oden _is_ pretty good,” the Deer agrees.

Jyushimatsu frowns deeply. “I can’t eat nothing if I can’t move my arms…”

“Ha! I ain’t gonna let ya go _that_ easy, dumbass! Yer our prisoner, y’know!” 

The Short Robber takes a skewer of oden, and without warning shoves it into Jyushimatsu’s mouth.

“There! _I’ll_ feed ya my own world-class oden myself! Kekeke!”

Jyushimatsu almost yells in protest, but then he tastes the savory deliciousness of the oden skewer. He chews, swallows and can’t help but let out a satisfied sigh. That oden really _is_ the best in the world.

“So yer lookin’ for Ichimatsu, huh?” the Short Robber asks Jyushimatsu as he continues force-feeding him oden. “Haven’t seen ‘im since forever ago! Ain’t he at the hospital or somethin’?”

After swallowing another bite of oden, Jyushimatsu lowers his eyes and shakes his head. “He was kidnapped by the Snow King,” he laments. “I’ve been looking for him all over, but I still haven’t found him…”

“Ehh?! Ichimacchan’s been kidnapped?!” The Deer quickly jumps to his hooves. He tries to yank himself free from the chains tethering him to the wall to no avail. Still, he persists. “We gotta go save him!”

“Uh-huh!” Jyushimatsu jumps around like a worm, freshly struggling against his ropes. “We gotta bring him home!”

The Short Robber raises an eyebrow. “How can ya do that if ya don’t even know where the idjit is? Ya’ve just been goin’ round in circles, that’s all!”

“He’s out there somewhere!” Jyushimatsu insists. “I’m gonna keep looking for him ‘til I find him!”

“But ya don’t have any leads! Does anyone even know where the hell Ichimatsu is? Has anyone even seen ‘im?!”

“I saw Ichimatsu, da jo!”

Everyone stops and turns their attention to a small pigeon that had just flown in, with olive green feathers and a little flag atop his little head.

The light returns to Jyushimatsu’s eyes. “Really?!” His smile widens with excitement. “You saw Ichimatsu-niisan?! Where is he?!”

The Pigeon bobs his little head up and down. “I saw him fly this big white sleigh all the way towards the north, da jo. He was wearing this crown made of ice and this cloak made of snow. He passed by me earlier and froze half my butt off, da jo!”

“E…Ehh?” Jyushimatsu shakes his head. “That wasn’t Ichimatsu-niisan! That was the Snow King!”

The Pigeon shakes his head too. “I’m pretty sure it was Ichimatsu, da jo.”

Confusion completely crumples Jyushimatsu’s face. Then he shakes his head again, a little more vehemently.

“W-whatever! That was the Snow King!” A realization hits him. “And – and wherever the Snow King’s going, Ichimatsu-niisan must be there too!” He asks the Pigeon, “Do you know where the sleigh went to?”

The Pigeon shrugs. “Just north, da jo.” 

“Hmm…” The Deer hums in thought. “Come to think of it, I remember seeing something weird up north a while ago – y’know, before these two bozos got to me. Like, there was this whole castle made of ice, on the roof of this big white building with a parking lot. There was green writing on top of the building, if I’m remembering right. Don’t remember what it was, though.”

Something about the building description seems familiar to Jyushimatsu, but he’s too excited to really think about it.

“Ahaha! Thank you, king-sized homerun!” With newfound vigor, he wriggles and struggles against his ropes. “I gotta go look for that place!”

“Oi,” the Short Robber cuts in, “Y’know I still ain’t gonna let ya go so easily, right? Yer still our prisoner, idjit.”

Jyushimatsu growls in frustration. “Fuck that shit! I gotta find Ichimatsu-niisan _now!_ If I don’t, something… s-something really bad might happen to him!” Blinking back tears, he violently thrashes about. “I can’t lose him again! I gotta bring him home! So let! Me! Go!!”

“You gotta let him go, man,” the Deer says to the Short Robber. His tone is low and uncharacteristically serious. “If we lose Ichimatsu… He’s never gonna forgive himself. None of us are.”

The Short Robber’s face falls as he hesitates. His eyes flicker between Jyushimatsu, the Deer, and the Tall Robber on the other side of the hideout, comically yowling in pain after kicking the pile of rickshaw parts. Finally, he sighs sharply.

“Eugh, fine, fine. Gimme a moment.”

The Short Robber pours some oden into a bowl, but mixes a strange powder into it. He heads over to the Tall Robber and, to Jyushimatsu and the Deer’s bewilderment, offers the bowl to the Tall Robber, who grabs it and eats its contents as if he hasn’t eaten in days. Mere seconds later, he goes out cold and collapses among the rickshaw parts.

“There,” the Short Robber says as he returns, “that idjit’s outta commission fer now.” 

Taking a knife, he slices Jyushimatsu’s ropes clean off. Then taking a small key from his pocket, he unlocks the Deer’s collar from the chain tethering him to the wall.

“You’re letting me go too?” The Deer grins and rubs his snout with his hoof. “Aww, you’re not so bad after all!”

The Short Robber rolls his eyes. “I ain’t lettin’ ya go for the sake of it, dammit. Jyushimatsu here needs someone to take ‘im to that ice castle place. And since yer the one who told ‘im, yer the one to take ‘im there. Capisce?”

The Deer laughs. “‘Course I’ll do that! That’s what Niichan’s for!”

The Short Robber leaves for a bit, then comes back with Jyushimatsu’s metal bat, a pair of wool gloves and old boots, and a pot. For his size, his strength really _is_ impressive.

“Yer gonna need these,” he says as he hands Jyushimatsu the bat, gloves and boots. After Jyushimatsu puts on the gloves and boots, the Short Robber ties the pot to Jyushimatsu’s body like a makeshift knapsack. “And that’s a pot of my world-class oden! It’ll keep ya full ‘n’ warm on your journey; it’s gonna get cold soon, looks like.”

Jyushimatsu beams, and bows a little. “Thanks a bunch!”

“Kekeke! Don’t mention it. Now go ‘n’ bring Ichimatsu home, dammit!”

The Deer lets Jyushimatsu climb on top of his back, slowly and carefully.

“Aw geez, you’re heavy, Jyushimatsu!” he complains.

Nonetheless, he and Jyushimatsu set off from the Robbers’ hideout, out from beneath the bridge and into the wide open world. The autumn air is growing chillier, and Jyushimatsu shivers in his scarf. Despite that, his heart is warm and beating with adrenaline.

_Hold on, Ichimatsu-niisan! We’re on our way!_

 

* * *

 

It takes several days for Jyushimatsu and the Deer to reach the north. The pot of oden’s all been eaten up by the time they get there, and Jyushimatsu and the Deer have taken turns running and carrying the other several times during the course of their journey.

Thick snow blankets every road and street, and every roof of every building. The air is so bitingly cold here that every breath creates a dense white cloud. It nips sharply at every inch of Jyushimatsu’s skin, and no amount of rubbing his arms or huddling into his clothes or huddling against the Deer’s fur can sufficiently warm him up.

He grits his teeth the whole time. Oh, how he _hates_ the cold.

At one point both Jyushimatsu and the Deer tire out, with neither having any more energy to run. They stop on a sloping road, where they come across a small, strange house. It looks like a laboratory almost, except made of sticks and straw, with a thatched dome roof overhead and dark glass panels for doors.

“Ah! I know who lives here,” the Deer says. “The Wise Old Man in Trousers. He makes magic potions ‘n’ stuff. Hey, maybe he can give us something that’ll help you take on that Snow King and save Ichimatsu! How ‘bout it?”

That sounds like a good idea. Jyushimatsu nods, wanting to get that help – as well as _desperately_ wanting to get in out of the cold.

Jyushimatsu hurries to the doors and pushes a little button next to them.

“Pardon me, pardon me!”

The doors slide open, and the Wise Old Man in Trousers steps out, wearing nothing but his trousers despite the cold. His eyes fall on Jyushimatsu and the Deer, and he smiles kindly.

“Hoe hoe! Hello, Jyushimatsu-kun, dasu! What are you doing here?”

Jyushimatsu chatters his teeth. “C-cold,” he stammers out, rubbing his arms and stamping his feet. “F-freezing… Need… warmth…”

“Hoe! Of course, dasu! Come right in! You too, Deer-kun, dasu!”

Jyushimatsu doesn’t need to be told twice; he zips inside of the Wise Old Man in Trousers’ house.

A welcome wave of heat hits him as soon as he enters. The house is much bigger than it looks on the outside: there are bookshelves, cabinets of magic ingredients, cauldrons bubbling with mysterious multicolored liquids, inventions and knick-knacks, a functioning kitchen and many other things that Jyushimatsu didn’t think would fit inside such a small house.

Seated at a circular table in the center is a middle-aged man with a wide face, sipping from a hot bowl of soup. He waves at Jyushimatsu and the Deer when he sees them; Jyushimatsu now feels warm and happy enough to wave back.

“This is my best friend, dasu,” the Wise Old Man in Trousers explains as he ladles a couple of bowls with a strange-colored soup. “He lives a little farther south of here, but he came to visit and have something warm to eat, dasu.” He places the bowls in front of Jyushimatsu and the Deer. “Here, have some!”

Jyushimatsu and the Deer heartily eat the soup. It tastes of lemons and marshmallows and warm cream soda – an odd flavor combination for soup that shouldn’t work, yet somehow does.

“What brings you up north, dasu?” the Wise Old Man in Trousers asks as he sits down at the table with them.

“We’re looking for Ichimatsu-niisan,” Jyushimatsu explains between sips.

“Hoe! Ichimatsu-kun? It’s been a while. I heard about what happened… Is he okay, dasu?”

Jyushimatsu shakes his head. “He was kidnapped from the hospital by the Snow King…”

With the Deer’s help, he tells the two Old Men everything that had happened on his journey so far. The Old Men listen intently, and when Jyushimatsu finishes his story, they glance at each other and nod.

“That sounds tough, yon!”

“Do you know where to find the Snow King, dasu?”

The Deer describes the building where he saw the ice castle. The Old Men glance at each other and nod again.

“That building’s a little far from here,” the Wise Old Man in Trousers says. “But just keep going north, and then you should see it, dasu.”

“Hey, Professor,” the Deer begins, “you know lots of things, and you’re really smart. You make all of these potions and inventions and stuff… We were thinking, maybe you can give Jyushimatsu something that’ll help him take on the Snow King?” He punches his fore-hooves together. “Maybe something that’ll make him real strong! Strong as a hundred men or something!”

Jyushimatsu nods vigorously in agreement. “Yeah! That’d be super helpful!”

The two Old Men look at each other again. Then they shake their heads.

“Not possible, yon.”

“That’s not going to be of much help, dasu.”

Both Jyushimatsu and the Deer nearly drop their bowls in shock. 

_“EHH?!”_

Jyushimatsu deflates. “W-why not?”

“Yeah, why not?!” the Deer demands. “Don’t you geezers want to save Ichimatsu? We can’t take the Snow King on just by ourselves! He’s got like ice powers and shit!”

“You don’t understand, dasu.” The Wise Old Man in Trousers shakes his head. “The Snow King _is_ very powerful indeed, and it will be difficult to get through to him. But you won’t be able to save Ichimatsu-kun with physical strength, dasu. You need a different kind of power, dasu.”

“What power is that?!” Jyushimatsu asks, eyes wide and pleading and desperate. “Please, Professor, tell me! If I… I-If I don’t save Ichimatsu-niisan, he…” 

He starts trembling, voice breaking into a near sob. 

“H-He’ll never wake up…”

The Wise Old Man in Trousers nods empathetically. “I understand, dasu…”

Out of nowhere, the Wide-Faced Old Man taps the Deer on the shoulder and motions him to follow him. He and the Deer go off to a corner, and the Wise Old Man in Trousers gets up to join them. The three start to talk among themselves, so quietly that Jyushimatsu can’t eavesdrop.

He can’t guess what they’re talking about. He can see the Deer nearly flare up in anger over something the Wide-Faced Old Man says; but then after the Wise Old Man in Trousers explains something, the Deer grows serious and somber. After a moment, he lifts his head and gives the Old Men a firm nod of understanding.

Jyushimatsu sniffles just as the Deer and the Old Men return to the table.

“Finish your soup, Jyushimatsu-kun, dasu,” the Wise Old Man in Trousers says kindly to him. “You’ll need to hurry – Ichimatsu-kun’s waiting, dasu!”

“Yeah!” the Deer agrees, with a knowing look on his face. “Let’s go, Jyushimatsu!”

Jyushimatsu nods. “R-Right!”

He downs the rest of his soup in one go. Afterwards, he and the Deer say goodbye to the Old Men and exit the straw house. The cold stabs Jyushimatsu all the way to his bones; it seems the air has grown colder since they entered the house.

“Hold on tight, Jyushimatsu,” the Deer instructs him as he climbs on his back. Determination blazes in his eyes. “I’m gonna take ya to the Snow King as fast as I can!”

As soon as Jyushimatsu clings onto his fur, the Deer _sprints_ up the sloping, frozen street. Jyushimatsu never would’ve guessed until now that the lazy, easygoing Deer was capable of running so fast. 

The wind blows hard against them, the cold stinging Jyushimatsu’s face. Gritting his teeth, he clings tighter to the Deer and braces himself against the harrowing weather ahead of him.

To keep himself from giving into the cold, he thinks only of Ichimatsu.

 

* * *

 

Finally, after hours of running in the increasingly frigid wasteland, they come to the right place.

It’s just as the Deer described: a big white building, with green writing on the top obscured by snow, and a parking lot off to the side. On the top of the roof’s building stands a tall and imposing crystalline structure, almost hidden by the blizzard raging overhead.

Come to think of it, the building almost reminds Jyushimatsu of Akatsuka General Hospital.

The Deer drops Jyushimatsu off at the parking lot. The snow is so thick that it reaches Jyushimatsu’s knees. He shivers and rubs his arms violently to warm himself.

“There you go,” the Deer says. He bows his head a little, then turns to walk away. “Alright, gotta get going now!”

“E-eh?! W-wait!” Jyushimatsu cries. “Aren’t you coming with me, Niisan?”

The Deer shrugs. “I would… But trust me, I ain’t gonna be of much help.” He faces Jyushimatsu, and puts a hoof on his shoulder. “Y’know, I talked a bit with the Old Men earlier. They told me that you already _have_ that power you need to save Ichimatsu. You out of all of us have the best chances of bringing him home – after all, you’re the one who’s closest to him!”

“H-Huh?” Jyushimatsu shakes his head. “I don’t understand!”

“Hehe, don’t worry about it!” The Deer rubs his snout with his hoof and smiles reassuringly. “You’ll figure it out – and I’m sure he will, too.”

The Deer musses Jyushimatsu’s hair. Then with a final wave goodbye, he bounds away.

Jyushimatsu feels distraught, but he knows it’s not the time to dwell on it. He looks up at the imposing ice castle on the roof.

Ichimatsu is up there somewhere.

Steeling himself, Jyushimatsu pulls out his metal bat, and storms inside through the lobby door.

It’s quiet inside, without a single person there. Winter itself seems to be inside the building: the corridors are covered with layers of ice, doors to various rooms and wards are blockaded by snow, icicles protrude from the ceilings and floors, and a strong sharp wind blows all throughout the building. Somehow it feels even _colder_ inside.

Jyushimatsu shivers in his scarf as he makes his way through the building. He can feel his muscles going frigid and his skin prickling painfully from the wind. Still, he pushes forward, gripping tightly onto his bat and gritting his teeth.

He passes through many corridors and climbs up many stairs. On his way up, snowflakes swirl in from the windows. They clump together and take humanoid forms, carrying various weapons made of solid ice. The snow people’s eerily smiling faces faintly remind Jyushimatsu of people he knew from school – specifically those who had hurt Ichimatsu in some way.

Jyushimatsu growls. He runs towards the snow people head-on and with his bat swings at them until they collapse back into piles of snow. Some of the snow people try to fight back with their weapons, causing some struggle; but Jyushimatsu overpowers them and knocks them all down in no time.

As he approaches the rooftop, more snow and ice swirls in to become obstacles. They take on different forms: more of the classmate-like snow people, big snow cats with sharp icicles for teeth, ice spikes in the wall shaped like box cutters, snowy white birds with hurtful words spilling from their beaks, and other horrific frost enemies. 

Jyushimatsu whacks every single enemy that gets in his way, leaving broken clumps of snow and shattered ice in his wake. Some manage to injure him, leaving cuts and bruises and frostbite all over his body and clothes. But he pays no attention to his injuries or to his growing fatigue, and just continues to fight his way up to the rooftop.

Then finally, _finally,_ he reaches the roof exit. When he steps outside, he’s faced with the toughest blizzard he’s ever seen. The air is so much colder and the wind so much stronger that he nearly collapses into the snow.

Jyushimatsu can see the silhouette of the ice castle on the other side of the roof. He staggers towards it, hugging himself and breathing heavily in a vain attempt to keep warm. By the time he reaches the other side, his whole body feels numb with cold.

The ice castle is much bigger up close. However, unlike most castles, it doesn’t look very majestic. Instead it looks like it was hastily put together into something resembling a castle, as if whoever made it didn’t care. There aren’t even any windows: a simple door carving is the only way inside.

Inside isn’t much better either once Jyushimatsu hobbles through. The air is still freezing cold. The interior is completely bare, an empty room entirely made of unpolished ice from floor to ceiling. The only other thing to be seen there is a slab of solid ice in the middle of the castle, vaguely shaped into some sort of throne.

And sitting on the throne is the Snow King, his snow cape covering his body and his ice crown weighing heavily on his head. He’s sitting with his knees close to his chest. His hair is messier, his skin paler, the dark circles under his eyes darker, and his eyes themselves looking empty and dead as he stares blankly at nothing.

Ichimatsu is nowhere to be found.

Jyushimatsu’s footsteps on the icy floor alerts the Snow King to his presence. He slowly lifts his head to look at Jyushimatsu standing at the entrance, half-frozen and breathing laboriously, and narrows his eyes.

“What are _you_ doing here?”

Attempting to stand straight, Jyushimatsu brandishes his metal bat with a tired hand and points it at the Snow King.

“Where… Where’s Ichimatsu-niisan?!”

“Tch. Like you really care.”

The Snow King’s curt words cut Jyushimatsu’s heart deep. Gripping tighter onto his bat, he takes a stumbling step forward, his body shaking with the unrelenting cold.

“Give… Give Ichimatsu-niisan back!” Jyushimatsu demands between chattering teeth. “He doesn’t belong with you! He belongs back home with me and the others!”

_“Tch.”_ The Snow King shrinks into his cape and looks away, eyes dark. “You don’t need him. You’re all better off without him, honestly.”

“Wh… What do you mean by that?!”

“It’s pointless.” The Snow King gets up from his throne and glowers at Jyushimatsu. “You coming all the way here… It’s like coming back for garbage that’s already been thrown away. Nobody does that.”

“Shut up! Ichimatsu-niisan’s not garbage!” Jyushimatsu weakly raises his bat with both hands, and swings. “G-give him back or else—”

The Snow King sends a blast of ice towards Jyushimatsu that knocks him down to the frozen ground.

“Meddlesome idiot,” the Snow King sneers. “I told you, there’s no point to you coming here. Ichimatsu’s never coming back.”

Jyushimatsu pushes himself back up and squares himself up with his bat. With a pained yell, he throws himself at the Snow King, only to be knocked back by a wave of sharp icicles lunging towards him from the floor. A circle of icicles surround the Snow King, forming a barrier.

Jyushimatsu slowly steadies himself, then proceeds to whack away at the icicles in his path. The Snow King tries to slow him down with a blast of wind, but Jyushimatsu pushes against it. 

He eventually manages to reach the Snow King, and raises his bat to hit him – but the Snow King hits him first, with a blast of knife-like cold that sends Jyushimatsu sprawling. The blast knocks his bat out of his hands, sending it flying towards the wall.

Jyushimatsu’s entire body smarts from the beatings and the cold. Weakly, he crawls towards his bat and grabs it. Turning to the Snow King glaring daggers at him, he demands:

“Why?! Why are you doing this?! Why won’t you let Ichimatsu-niisan come home with me?!”

The Snow King snorts. “I’m doing you and everyone else a favor,” he answers simply. “You really want someone like _him_ around? He’s better off dead.”

“Sh-shut up!” Jyushimatsu’s legs ache as he tries to stand up again. “He’s not better off dead!” He shakes his head. “Everything… Everything will be okay again once he wakes up—”

“Do you really think that?!” the Snow King snarls. “You really think everything’s gonna be okay again once he wakes up?! Are you really _that_ stupid, Jyushimatsu?!”

A sudden snowstorm brews as the Snow King speaks, whirling in fury everywhere around the castle.

“It won’t change anything! Even if he does wake up, you’ll be stuck with a useless, mopey, sack of shit jackass who can’t do anything right! He can’t even keep his friends! He’s barely a good brother or son, either! If he wakes up, he’s just gonna drag you and everyone else down with him! Do you really _want_ that sort of guy around you?!”

The Snow King’s words seem increasingly familiar to Jyushimatsu, as does his voice. He wracks his brain for answers, fighting off the numbness growing in his skull from the cold, searching his feelings for why the Snow King seemed so _familiar_ to him this whole time—

And then, everything makes sense.

“He’s not worth having around, Jyushimatsu,” the Snow King says, his words dull and dead. “And the sooner you realize that… The sooner you let him go, you’ll see—“

_“No!”_

Jyushimatsu tosses away his metal bat. With the last of his strength, he rushes towards the Snow King, lunges forward—

—and envelops him into a tight hug.

The action leaves the Snow King stunned. He sinks to his knees, and Jyushimatsu follows, not once letting him go. The snowstorm around them halts, the whirling snowflakes suspended in the air.

The Snow King feels painfully cold to the touch, but Jyushimatsu doesn’t care. Tears stream down his face.

“I… I’m sorry, Ichimatsu-niisan,” Jyushimatsu sobs. “I-I know you’re hurting badly, a-and it hurts so much that you couldn’t bear it anymore… It feels so lonely, a-and scary, and it’s like you’ll… you’ll never be happy again. And it’ll… It’ll be super hard to make everything better again…”

He buries his face in the Snow King’s cape.

“I-I know I can’t fix you, a-and I know I can’t make you happy all the time… But that’s okay! I… I-I still like Ichimatsu-niisan, even when he’s sad and hurting! I still like him and I don’t think he’s bad!”

Hugging the Snow King tighter, he continues:

“Even if things don’t get better, e-even if Ichimatsu-niisan keeps hurting… I’ll be here! I-I’ll always be here, niisan. So will the others! We’ll always be here for you… You don’t have to deal with the pain alone anymore. I promise! S-so please… Please come home, niisan…”

The Snow King starts to tremble in Jyushimatsu’s embrace. Then slowly, hesitantly, he wraps his arms around Jyushimatsu, then before long bursts into a long, pained, relieved sob. He buries his face into Jyushimatsu’s shoulder as he cries. The ice crown falls off his head, the snow cape slips off his shoulders; both melt away along with his magic and his age…

...and Ichimatsu is left, wearing his hospital gown, clinging to his brother and shedding warm tears.

“I-I’m sorry, Jyushimatsu,” Ichimatsu hiccups between sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t… I-I thought there was no other way… Oh god, Jyushimatsu, I’m so sorry…”

Jyushimatsu doesn’t say anything. He only shakes his head, smiles reassuringly and hugs Ichimatsu tighter. He gently strokes the top of Ichimatsu’s head to soothe him as he cries.

The snowstorm that had built up earlier seems to have dissipated into thin air. The air inside of the castle grows a little warmer, and a little bit of sunlight seems to stream in through the entrance.

Once Ichimatsu has calmed down from crying, Jyushimatsu helps him up to his feet. Ichimatsu visibly shivers from the cold, so Jyushimatsu takes off his scarf and wraps it around his neck. He slings a floppy sleeve around his shoulders for extra warmth.

The air is still rather cold, and Ichimatsu is still very cold to the touch. His hair is still rather messy, his skin is still rather pale, and the circles beneath his eyes are still rather dark. The gauze wrappings around his wrists are still there – a reminder of what can’t easily be fixed.

But despite everything, Jyushimatsu is happy.

A confused frown creases Ichimatsu’s face. “I… I still don’t get it.”

“Get what, niisan?”

“You really went all that way to get me back. Went through all that cold, even though you hate it, just to find me again… I still don’t see why.”

A big smile grows on Jyushimatsu’s face, and he laughs. “‘Cause I wanted to!” he chirps. “And besides, life’s no fun without Ichimatsu-niisan around!”

“You… you mean that?”

Jyushimatsu nods with all of his heart.

“Tch.” Ichimatsu looks away for a moment; then a soft, warm smile grows on his lips, warm enough to thaw any frozen heart. He doesn’t say anything more. He doesn’t have to.

Jyushimatsu laughs again, loud and clear. He takes Ichimatsu’s hand in his and squeezes it.

“Let’s get you back, niisan!”

The two brothers run out of the ice castle, across the roof towards the exit. The snowfall outside had stopped completely; the sky is still covered by gray clouds, but this time lined with silver. The heaps of snow on the ground are starting to melt. 

Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu enter the building and make their way through it. The ice and snow that covered the corridors and rooms are starting to melt away, and none of the enemies Jyushimatsu fought earlier could be found anywhere. They run through a few corridors and down many stairs.

Finally they come to a room that was barricaded earlier by snow and ice, with the number 504 labeled on the door. With Ichimatsu still holding onto his hand, Jyushimatsu opens the door and steps inside. Bright white light floods his vision completely…

 

 

 

 

…and then he wakes up in the chair he had fallen asleep on.

Jyushimatsu yawns and straightens out the crick in his neck. It takes a while for his drowsiness to wear off, but once his bleary vision’s cleared, he realizes he’s still in Room 504. It seems he had accidentally spent the night here: the sky outside is bright despite the gray clouds covering the horizon.

Ichimatsu is still lying comatose in his bed, completely untouched. A strange sense of relief washes over Jyushimatsu, though he can’t quite remember why.

“Morning, Ichimatsu-niisan.” With another yawn, Jyushimatsu slowly gets up from his seat and stretches. He chuckles awkwardly. “Ahaha, looks like I fell asleep here… Mom’s gonna kill me when I get home. Crap. Um, I’ll just tell her I fell asleep in the hospital. Yeeeaaaah…”

Despite that, Jyushimatsu takes his time gathering his things to leave. The whole time he mills about in the room, he continues talking to Ichimatsu.

“Y’know, I had a really weird dream last night, niisan… I don’t remember everything about it, but I think you got kidnapped from this room, and I had to go out and save you from the guy who kidnapped you.” He laughs. “Good thing that didn’t actually happen, right? Or we would’ve been in _big_ trouble!”

Glancing at his brother in his sleeplike state, Jyushimatsu can’t help but smile a little sadly.

“I kinda wish I remembered what happened, though…”

Now it really is time for Jyushimatsu to go. After putting his jacket and scarf back on, he waves at Ichimatsu. 

“I’ll see ya later, Ichimatsu-niisan.”

He turns to leave the room. But just as he reaches for the doorknob, he hears a low, familiar-sounding moan – so familiar that it makes his heart stop.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Jyushimatsu turns around to look back at the hospital bed – and sees Ichimatsu stirring, blinking slowly and moving his head a little.

Ichimatsu turns his head towards Jyushimatsu’s direction, and his half-lidded eyes widen.

“Jyu… Jyushimatsu…?”

Jyushimatsu gasps. The widest, warmest smile brightens his face – as bright as the slivers of yellow sunlight starting to peek through the gray clouds outside.

_“ICHIMATSU-NIISAN!!”_

 

**Author's Note:**

> **Some Notes:**
> 
> Pretty much all of the roles of the characters in this fic are based on the characters in _The Snow Queen_ , though their roles are heavily tweaked to fit them better. To be more specific:  
> * Gerda → Jyushi  
> * Kai/The Snow Queen → Ichi (the Snow King)  
> * The Old Woman Who Knew Magic → Totoko (the Pretty Fish Girl)  
> * The Wild Crow → Kara (the Blue Crow)  
> * The Tame Crow → Choro and Totty (the Green Crow and the Pink Crow)  
> * The Princess → Matsuyo (the Queen)  
> * The Prince → Matsuzo (the King)  
> * The Old Robber Woman → Iyami (the Tall Robber)  
> * The Little Robber Girl → Chibita (the Short Robber)  
> * Bae the Reindeer → Oso (the Deer)  
> * The Lapp Woman and the Finn Woman → Dayon and Dekapan, respectively (the Wide-Faced Old Man and the Wise Old Man in Trousers)  
> ** Hatabou as the Pigeon is somewhat based on the captive woodland pigeons that the Little Robber Girl kept in her section of the original story; they're the ones who finally tell Gerda that Kai was taken by the Snow Queen.
> 
> Fun fact: The Snow King's appearance is based on the Snow King/Prince set from Tabimatsu (see [here](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/501045382437011478/553997160073658370/IMG_20190310_014525.jpg)).
> 
> \-----------------------
> 
>  
> 
> Please do tell me what you think! ^^


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